Paul McCartney in helicopter crash scare

The near-miss - which took place near the singer's home in East Sussex in May - is now under investigation by the government's Department of Transport after the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) classified it as a "serious incident".

According to The Mail on Sunday, McCartney and his wife were returning from an event in London when the helicopter pilot began to struggle as a result of the bad weather.

The pilot attempted to land on the former Beatle's private helipad, but instead dived towards some trees. He managed to avoid a potentially fatal crash by mere feet after regaining control and pulling up at the last minute.

The landing was then aborted and the flight diverted to Lydd Airport in Kent, 15 miles away.

The report covering the incident reveals that the helicopter came within two feet of the treetops and the pilot became "disorientated" as a result of "low cloudbase, poor visibility and rain".

A spokesman for Air Harrods, the company which runs the helicopter service, acknowledged that an investigation into the incident was ongoing.

A representative for McCartney told the paper: "Paul has been spoken to. It has been put to him, everything. It's a no comment."